- Sunday, May 19, 2024
- Contact
A group, Aviation Round Table (ART) has cautioned aviation agencies and
the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development against hasty pronouncements
when aircraft incidents or accidents occur in the country.
Speaking at its Q1 2024 breakfast meeting in Lagos, its President, Air
Commodore Demola Onitiju (rtd), said such reactions are dangerous and risky
even as they constitute violation of due process.
According to him, incidences of runway incursion and excursion are not
unusual in aviation industry, adding that many of the issues that contribute to
such developments could only be resolved when the regulatory and investigating bodies
coordinate their findings and work together.
He said: “Knee-jerk reaction to aircraft incidents and accidents is
dangerous and hurtful. Incidences of runway incursion and excursion are not
unusual in aviation practice. Runway excursion prevention is complex because
the effect of the risk and resilience factors is highly cumulative. Some of the
factors that contribute to runway excursions include but are not limited to
-the runway condition, maintenance and reporting. To this list, add- aircraft
performance and operations, collaborative approach path management and
adherence to robust policies for safe descent and approach planning, stabilised
approach, safe landing and go-around.
“The solution to these challenges can only be done together by the
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigeria Safety Investigation
Bureau (NSIB) in a coordinated way not through arbitrary pronouncements that
are not only meddlesome, dangerous and risky but violates due process."
The recent grounding all aircraft in the fleet of DANA Air on account of runway excursion at
the Lagos Airport by the NCAA on the orders of the Ministry of Aviation had
generated a backlash in the industry.
ART however advocated the strengthening of NCAA’s autonomy consistent
with the Act establishing it in line with global best practices.
“We made this call to ensure that it is adequately insulated from
short-term political pressure. In the Nigerian circumstance, the NCAA is
expected to be both benign and harsh in its spontaneous enforcement of standards
and rules to retain our trust,” he said.
In order to create a conducive environment for aviation and tourism to
thrive, the group urged President Bola Tinubu to initiate deliberate policies
to review and suspend taxes, tariffs and charges, within a given time frame, in
order to bring succour to aviation and allied businesses in the country.
It added that such policies should address airline survival and growth
with a view to lowering the recent astronomical increase in air fare on the
domestic scene.
The ART also renewed its call for a comprehensive review of Bilateral and
Plurilateral Air Services Agreements to suit the sector’s present
circumstances.
It recommended the development of a local hub to effectively protect
local airlines against the predatory foreign airlines granted multiple entry
into local destinations.
“The ART has variously embarked on policy advocacy on the need to balance
the interests of local tourism players and the need to encourage the growth of
budget airlines.
“For us in the ART, the interest of the Nigerian state and her people
must be paramount at all times. Attractive as Open skies might appear to be,
modifications as would stimulate fair competition and reciprocal rights must be
observed. In our view, Open skies is not devoid of regulation. There must be a
balance between its tenets and the national interest. The recent commendable
audacity of the Air Peace Airline to embark on the Lagos- London Gatwick route
and the dust it generated is a case in point. The Nigerian State must rise up
in defence of its own without apology,” Onitiju said.
Leave Comments